Ian Acheson Ian Acheson

Why Northern Ireland’s Chief Constable had to go

Northern Ireland PSNI's outgoing Chief Constable Simon Byrne (Credit: Getty images)

Simon Byrne, the Chief Constable of Northern Ireland’s beleaguered police force, has stepped down. It’s about time. The country’s police service, created to oversee a changing society in the aftermath of the Good Friday agreement, has been reeling from a succession of scandals. These stories – not least involving the leak of details about 10,000 police officers and staff on the internet – have had a catastrophic impact on trust inside and outside the organisation.

Byrne’s decision to quit looked inevitable. On Friday, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) submitted a motion of no confidence in the Chief Constable. A few days earlier, the High Court ruled that two junior officers within the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) were unlawfully disciplined for an arrest made at a Troubles commemoration event. These controversies were not isolated incidents: Byrne’s four-year term was punctuated by gaffes and collapsing morale. The revelation that decisions made by its senior management were driven by fear of republican politicians and not due process was the final nail in the coffin.

But there was little flavour of these blunders in the public statement confirming Byrne’s departure that was made by the chair and vice chair of the Policing Board.

Ian Acheson
Written by
Ian Acheson

Professor Ian Acheson is a former prison governor. He was also Director of Community Safety at the Home Office. His book ‘Screwed: Britain’s prison crisis and how to escape it’ is out now.

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